St. Landry democrat., 1887-10-22

wise. But Esther was sent away to school
The Gasport stage cracked through the sands
one morning a little hair trunk was tossed
aboard, and Esther departed, accompanied
oy her goodly aunt. Reuben was simply
speechless Caleb waved an adieu from re-
spectful distance In three days Aunt Hepsy
was back with glowing report OF the SEMI
nary it was all that the minister and his wife
had said and Esther was cOntented and full
of ambition.
Now, these were lonely times for Reuben;
moreover Caleb became more and more re-
belhous with his boisterous declamations
against the wickedness Of 'separatin' an old
man an his only gal" One vast consolation
was Esthers letters, for they showed rapid
improvement and were full of attectionate
assurances. The next spring Reuben went
over to Gasport and hired a melodeon for
the summer. Esther will want sumthin' to
play on" he said, land don't feel as if |
could afford a pianny jist yet.
"a melOdeon is better anyway said Aunt
Hepsy, because it was made to play solem
music on, and I'm not goin to have any
of your dance music or panny dom IN this
house,"
way-taller, more womanly. more like her
mother, and with the same sunny curls, the
same blue eyes, the same sweet voice and the
same loving heart. She had made remarka
bic progress in her studies her teachers
said so in the letters she brought home.
She has been a studyin French, Reuben
proudly told Caleb as they spun out to sea
next morning Like as not she can speak
it as well as if she had been born there
Il wouldn't swap tom cod fur all the
French in creation" said Caleb scornfully.
What did our mothers an gran mothers
know about them things?"
you ought to heerd her playln' the melo-
deon las night" said Reuben, changing his
tack; talk about your music, There never
was no gal, nor man neither, could play that
prayer tune as she plays it, and I'll bet
on it ~
Look a here. Reuben" =" said Caleb, turn
ing full around and looking his friend
straight in the face, did you ever think that
maybe you was a cuttin' your own throat by
a tamperin with this eddycashun business?'
"Why, no, Caleb; what do you mean:'
Reuben asked in a confused sort Of way.
"Hain't you never thought" continued
Caleb, that by film your gal full O no.
tions about eddycashun an sech like you
was weanin her from yourself? You
hain't got no eddycashun, nor more have |,
What do we know about piannys an forrin
languages and-and-and them things?
Why. nothin'. We're jest too dulned OF
fool fishermen, an the more you eddycate
the gal, jist so much more you eddycate her
away from as, and the fust thing You know
she'll be a driftin', driftin', driftin away
from us, and we can't help it,
Reuben grew white, presumably with
anger.
You wrong the ga," he said; 'you don't
know her, Caleb, or you'd never've said
that of her. She wouldn't drift away-it
amt in her-she's too much like her
mother! Don't talk like that no more,
Caleb
Caleb looked rueful and said nothing. He
loved Reuben and he would not for all the
fish in the ocean have said word to hurt
his feelings. They never spoke of this again.
Caleb was satisfied that Reuben would never |
entertain a suspicion against the honesty
and the fullness of Esthers respect for him. |
Three years passed, with Esther now at
the seminary and now horne for her vaca-
ions. She was quite a woman now-the |